In U.S. Pat. No. 5,234,353 is disclosed a matable electrical connector assembly for an input/output port of an electronic apparatus such as a portable cellular telephone. Complementary plug and receptacle connectors include arrays of signal contacts across a mating interface and coaxial connectors at each end thereof. The signal contacts comprise mating pairs of like resilient cantilever beam contact arms that are disposed transverse of the mating interface and extend slightly forwardly of the front face of the housing to engage each other and deflect free ends of each other slightly rearwardly and mostly into the respective protective cavities. Body sections of the contacts extend axially rearwardly along respective passageways along which they are retained by interference fit by retention sections, extending to rearward contact sections disposed in a rear housing portion. Alternating ones of the front contact sections extend transversely in opposing directions to contact surfaces in staggered rows, matable with contact sections of the mating connector having similarly alternating front contact sections of the signal contacts. The rear contact sections of one of the connectors comprise tails adapted to be surface mounted to respective traces of a circuit board contained within the portable electronic apparatus, while the rear contact sections of the other connector may be terminated to respective wires of an electrical cable within a base unit. The plug and receptacle connectors are matable under low mating forces and have a long-term durability over at least 5000 mating cycles.
It is desired to provide a portable electronic apparatus with electrical connections between components on a circuit board therewithin to a battery power source when the portable apparatus is not cradled in its base unit, and with the electrical connections with the battery disengaged upon return of the portable apparatus to its base unit.